The Wet Tropics rainforests are recognised internationally for their ancient ancestry and many unique plants and animals. Many plant and animal species in the Wet Tropics are found nowhere else in the world. The Wet Tropics has the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on earth.[5]
On 9 November 2012, the Australian Government also acknowledged the Indigenous heritage of the area as being nationally significant. The Aboriginal Rainforest People of the Wet Tropics of Queensland have lived continuously in the rainforest environment for at least 5000 years, and this is the only place in Australia where Aboriginal people have permanently inhabited a tropical rainforest environment.[6]
The Wet Tropics of Queensland stretches in part from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef (another World Heritage Site).[7]
The terrain is rugged. The Great Dividing Range and a number of small coastal ranges, highlands, tablelands, foothills and an escarpment dominate the landscape.
and over 700 protected areas including privately owned land.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority was established in 1983; it is responsible for managing the site according to Australia's obligations under the World Heritage Convention.[11] The agency employed 20 staff in 2012 as a unit within the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. It is headed by a board of directors responsible to the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council which contains both Queensland and Federal Government representatives.[11]
The site contains many unique features such as over 390 rare plant species, which includes 74 species that are threatened.[7] There are at least 85 species that are endemic to the area, 13 different types of rainforest and 29 species of mangrove, which is more than anywhere else in the country.[7] Of the 19 families of primitive flowering plants worldwide, 12 are found in the Wet Tropics including two families found nowhere else.[12] This includes at least 50 individual species which are endemic to the area.[2]
90 species of orchids have been noted.[13] The large rare trees Stockwellia or Vic Stockwell's Puzzle Stockwellia quadrifida (Myrtaceae) grow only in restricted areas of "well developed upland rain forest" in the Wet Tropics.[14] They continue living today as descendants of, and very similar to, the ancient Gondwanan fossil species considered one of the Eucalypts' fossil ancestors, which diversified into so many different species forms of all the Eucalypt plants today.[15] 65% of Australia's fern species are protected here, including all seven of the ancient fern species.[8]
113 species of reptiles including 24 endemic species are found in the area and there are 51 amphibian species, of which 22 are endemic.[1] One reason for the very high level of endemism is that the geomorphology is diverse, resulting in habitat islands where distinct subspecies have evolved.[2] Some species are endemic to a specific mountain or groups of mountains.[17]
Climate
Rainfall in the area varies considerably, with elevation and orientation of the coastline being the major influences.[9] Rainfall averages from 1,200 millimeters (mm) to over 8,000 mm annually.[8] The highest mountains along the escarpment between Cairns and Tully receive the highest rainfall, mainly owing to orographic factors. Mount Bellenden Ker is the wettest recording station in the area with other high peaks and eastern slopes favouring high rainfall.[8] Most of the rainfall occurs from November to April. Tropical cyclones may impact the area.
Environmental threats
The expansion of the sugarcane industry in lowland plains poses a significant threat to some endangered ecosystems. Some are fragmented and their natural vegetation is degraded.[8] Invasive pest species are another concern along with internal fragmentation by road and power lines.[8][17] Insect and mite species are of particular concern because some of them are hard to detect.[17] Some areas are off-limits to the general public to prevent the introduction of Phytophthora.[17] The southern cassowary is often killed by motor vehicles.[17]
^ abcde"World Heritage List: Wet Tropics of Queensland". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
^ abcdeSteve Goosen & Nigel I. J. Tucker (1995). "Wet Tropics Overview" (PDF). Repairing the Rainforest: Theory and Practice of Rainforest Re-establishment in North Queensland's Wet Tropics. Wet Tropics Management Authority. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
^"Wet Tropics of Queensland". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
^ ab"Wet Tropics". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
^ abcdefgh"Queensland tropical rainforests". Encyclopedia of Earth. Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment. 2012.
^ abcdMcDonald, Geoff; Marcus B. Lane (2000). Securing the Wet Tropics?: A Retrospective on Managing Australia's Tropical Rainforests. Federation Press. pp. 17–19. ISBN1862873496. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
^"Macalister Range National Park". National Parks, Sport and Racing. Queensland Government. from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
^World heritage forests: the world heritage convention as a mechanism for conserving tropical forest biodiversity. CIFOR. 1999. p. 36. ISBN9798764234. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
^ abcdRiley, Laura and William (2005). Nature's Strongholds: The Worlds' Great Wildlife Reserves. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 599–600. ISBN0-691-12219-9. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
^Breeden, Stanley (1992). Visions of a Rainforest: A year in Australia's tropical rainforest. Illustrated by William T. Cooper. Foreword by Sir David Attenborough. (1st ed.). East Roseville: Simon & Schuster Australia. ISBN0-7318-0058-3.
^"Endemic and rare species". Wet Tropics Management Authority. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
^ abcdeStork, Nigel E. (2005). "The Theory and Practice of Planning for Long-term Conservation of Biodiversity in the Wet Tropics Rainforests of Australia". In Bermingham, Eldredge; Dick, Christopher W.; Moritz, Craig (eds.). Tropical Rainforests: Past, Present, and Future. University of Chicago Press. pp. 522–523. ISBN0226044688. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wet Tropics of Queensland.
Wet Tropics Management Authority webpage
World heritage listing for Wet Tropics of Queensland
January 07, 2023
tropics, queensland, world, heritage, site, consists, approximately, australian, tropical, forests, growing, along, north, east, queensland, portion, great, dividing, range, meets, four, criteria, natural, heritage, selection, world, heritage, site, world, her. The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8 940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all four of the criteria for natural heritage for selection as a World Heritage Site 1 World Heritage status was declared in 1988 2 and on 21 May 2007 the Wet Tropics were added to the Australian National Heritage List 3 Wet Tropics of QueenslandUNESCO World Heritage SiteForest near Daintree QueenslandLocationQueensland AustraliaIncludescomponents Main Malbon Thompson and Graham Range Curtain Fig Lake Barrine Lake Eacham Russell River Hugh Nelson Range Malaan Moresby Range Cowley Kurrimine Beach Mission Beach Girramay Paluma RangeCriteriaNatural vii viii ix x Reference486Inscription1988 12th Session Area893 453 ha 3 449 64 sq mi Coordinates15 39 S 144 58 E 15 650 S 144 967 E 15 650 144 967 Coordinates 15 39 S 144 58 E 15 650 S 144 967 E 15 650 144 967171314class notpageimage Components in QueenslandLocation of Wet Tropics of Queensland in AustraliaThe tropical forests have the highest concentration of primitive flowering plant families in the world 4 Only Madagascar and New Caledonia due to their historical isolation have humid tropical regions with a comparable level of endemism 2 The Wet Tropics rainforests are recognised internationally for their ancient ancestry and many unique plants and animals Many plant and animal species in the Wet Tropics are found nowhere else in the world The Wet Tropics has the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on earth 5 Contents 1 Indigenous Peoples 2 Geography 2 1 Protected areas 3 Flora 4 Fauna 5 Climate 6 Environmental threats 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksIndigenous Peoples EditOn 9 November 2012 the Australian Government also acknowledged the Indigenous heritage of the area as being nationally significant The Aboriginal Rainforest People of the Wet Tropics of Queensland have lived continuously in the rainforest environment for at least 5000 years and this is the only place in Australia where Aboriginal people have permanently inhabited a tropical rainforest environment 6 Geography Edit Josephine Falls 2008 The Wet Tropics of Queensland stretches in part from Townsville to Cooktown running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef another World Heritage Site 7 The terrain is rugged The Great Dividing Range and a number of small coastal ranges highlands tablelands foothills and an escarpment dominate the landscape The heritage site contains the northern section of the Queensland tropical rain forests including the Daintree Rainforest 16 different structural types of rainforest have been identified 8 9 The World Heritage area includes Australia s highest waterfall Wallaman Falls In total it spans 13 major river systems including the Annan Bloomfield Daintree Barron Mulgrave Russell Johnstone Tully Herbert Burdekin Mitchell Normanby and Palmer River 9 Copperlode Falls Dam Koombooloomba Dam and Paluma Dam are found within the World Heritage Area 9 Protected areas Edit Barron Gorge in Barron Gorge National Park Map of the Wet Tropics of Queensland 2012 15 of the area is protected as national park 8 Among the national parks included within the Wet Tropics are Barron Gorge National Park Kalkajaka National Park Cedar Bay National Park Daintree National Park Girramay National Park Girringun National Park Kirrama National Park Kuranda National Park Macalister Range National Park 10 Wooroonooran National Parkand over 700 protected areas including privately owned land The Wet Tropics Management Authority was established in 1983 it is responsible for managing the site according to Australia s obligations under the World Heritage Convention 11 The agency employed 20 staff in 2012 as a unit within the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection It is headed by a board of directors responsible to the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council which contains both Queensland and Federal Government representatives 11 Flora Edit Daintree Rainforest 2011 The site contains many unique features such as over 390 rare plant species which includes 74 species that are threatened 7 There are at least 85 species that are endemic to the area 13 different types of rainforest and 29 species of mangrove which is more than anywhere else in the country 7 Of the 19 families of primitive flowering plants worldwide 12 are found in the Wet Tropics including two families found nowhere else 12 This includes at least 50 individual species which are endemic to the area 2 90 species of orchids have been noted 13 The large rare trees Stockwellia or Vic Stockwell s Puzzle Stockwellia quadrifida Myrtaceae grow only in restricted areas of well developed upland rain forest in the Wet Tropics 14 They continue living today as descendants of and very similar to the ancient Gondwanan fossil species considered one of the Eucalypts fossil ancestors which diversified into so many different species forms of all the Eucalypt plants today 15 65 of Australia s fern species are protected here including all seven of the ancient fern species 8 Fauna EditAnimaltype Species Endemicspecies MonotypicgeneraBird 370 11 0Mammal 107 11 2Reptile 113 24 3Amphibian 51 22 0Sources 1 16 The musky rat kangaroo is a marsupial species only found in the Wet Tropics ecoregion 370 species of bird have been recorded in the area 13 11 species of those are found nowhere else 1 The southern cassowary and rare spotted tailed quoll are some of the many threatened species while the musky rat kangaroo is one of 50 animal species that are unique to this area 4 The musky rat kangaroo is significant because it represents an early stage in the evolution of kangaroos 2 Other rare animals include the yellow bellied gliders and brush tailed bettong 13 107 mammal species have been identified 1 Australia s rarest mammal dubious discuss the insectivorous Flores tube nosed bat Murina florium is also found here 13 One quarter of Australia s rodent species are found within the Wet Tropics 8 113 species of reptiles including 24 endemic species are found in the area and there are 51 amphibian species of which 22 are endemic 1 One reason for the very high level of endemism is that the geomorphology is diverse resulting in habitat islands where distinct subspecies have evolved 2 Some species are endemic to a specific mountain or groups of mountains 17 Climate EditRainfall in the area varies considerably with elevation and orientation of the coastline being the major influences 9 Rainfall averages from 1 200 millimeters mm to over 8 000 mm annually 8 The highest mountains along the escarpment between Cairns and Tully receive the highest rainfall mainly owing to orographic factors Mount Bellenden Ker is the wettest recording station in the area with other high peaks and eastern slopes favouring high rainfall 8 Most of the rainfall occurs from November to April Tropical cyclones may impact the area Environmental threats EditThe expansion of the sugarcane industry in lowland plains poses a significant threat to some endangered ecosystems Some are fragmented and their natural vegetation is degraded 8 Invasive pest species are another concern along with internal fragmentation by road and power lines 8 17 Insect and mite species are of particular concern because some of them are hard to detect 17 Some areas are off limits to the general public to prevent the introduction of Phytophthora 17 The southern cassowary is often killed by motor vehicles 17 See also Edit Queensland portalEnvironment of Australia Forests of Australia List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and AustralasiaReferences Edit a b c d e World Heritage List Wet Tropics of Queensland UNESCO World Heritage Centre United Nations Retrieved 21 March 2013 a b c d e Steve Goosen amp Nigel I J Tucker 1995 Wet Tropics Overview PDF Repairing the Rainforest Theory and Practice of Rainforest Re establishment in North Queensland s Wet Tropics Wet Tropics Management Authority Retrieved 21 March 2013 Wet Tropics of Queensland Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts Retrieved 18 June 2010 a b Wet Tropics Department of National Parks Recreation Sport and Racing 14 May 2012 Retrieved 21 March 2013 World Heritage Values Website Tropics Management Authority Retrieved 25 May 2019 Department of the Environment and Energy Department of the Environment and Energy Retrieved 29 November 2017 a b c Reid Greg 2004 Australia s National and Marine Parks Queensland South Yarra Victoria Macmillan Education Australia p 13 ISBN 0 7329 9053 X a b c d e f g h Queensland tropical rainforests Encyclopedia of Earth Environmental Information Coalition National Council for Science and the Environment 2012 a b c d McDonald Geoff Marcus B Lane 2000 Securing the Wet Tropics A Retrospective on Managing Australia s Tropical Rainforests Federation Press pp 17 19 ISBN 1862873496 Retrieved 3 December 2012 Macalister Range National Park National Parks Sport and Racing Queensland Government Archived from the original on 3 April 2016 Retrieved 13 March 2018 a b Wet Tropics Management Authority Wet Tropics Management Authority Retrieved 24 March 2013 World heritage forests the world heritage convention as a mechanism for conserving tropical forest biodiversity CIFOR 1999 p 36 ISBN 9798764234 Retrieved 21 March 2013 a b c d Riley Laura and William 2005 Nature s Strongholds The Worlds Great Wildlife Reserves Princeton New Jersey Princeton University Press pp 599 600 ISBN 0 691 12219 9 Retrieved 12 July 2011 F A Zich B P M Hyland T Whiffen R A Kerrigan 2020 Stockwellia quadrifida Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO Retrieved 5 March 2021 Breeden Stanley 1992 Visions of a Rainforest A year in Australia s tropical rainforest Illustrated by William T Cooper Foreword by Sir David Attenborough 1st ed East Roseville Simon amp Schuster Australia ISBN 0 7318 0058 3 Endemic and rare species Wet Tropics Management Authority Retrieved 7 April 2013 a b c d e Stork Nigel E 2005 The Theory and Practice of Planning for Long term Conservation of Biodiversity in the Wet Tropics Rainforests of Australia In Bermingham Eldredge Dick Christopher W Moritz Craig eds Tropical Rainforests Past Present and Future University of Chicago Press pp 522 523 ISBN 0226044688 Retrieved 23 March 2013 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wet Tropics of Queensland Wet Tropics Management Authority webpage World heritage listing for Wet Tropics of Queensland Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wet Tropics of Queensland amp oldid 1114205750, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
